


Sit Down Next To Me

by ElenirLachlagos



Series: Lückenfüller [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bromance, Canon Compliant, Gen, Keith gives out a pep talk, Keith is introverting, Lance suffers from Imposter Syndrome, Post-Season/Series 06 Finale, space ranger partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 22:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16649338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElenirLachlagos/pseuds/ElenirLachlagos
Summary: The Castle of Lions is destroyed. Lotor is defeated, trapped in the quintessence field. Shiro is alive, but comatose. Somehow the Paladins have to find their way back home to Earth.A lot has happened and Keith hadn't had a break for hours. Lance seeks him out.





	Sit Down Next To Me

**Author's Note:**

> This happens right after the Season 6 finale.
> 
> This is my very first FanFic!  
> I'm not very good with big plots, so it's just a short scene. Another one, post season 7, is in the making.
> 
> The title is inspired by the song "Sit Down" by James: "In love, in fear, in hate, in tears - sit down next to me"  
> I don't know, I just couldn't think of anything better.
> 
> Thanks a lot to [juliairian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/juliairian/pseuds/juliairian) for beta-reading (who did this even though she never watched Voltron).

Keith walked around the Red Lions back, letting his hands slide over the metal, noticing the old bumps and scratches and discovering a few new ones. "And how are you, old friend? I hope he took good care of you" he quietly whispered.  
He was happy to see his friends again after such a long time, but it was all getting a bit much. He felt exhausted and he found it hard to concentrate on everyone talking, having to focus on so many people.  
So he was wandering a little away, to a quieter spot on the other side of the lions. There he leaned his back against the cool metal of the giant machine behind him, looking out into the strange sky.  
The buzzing in his ears started to fade. But the last few hours had taken a toll and he could feel it in his bones. He slowly sat down, letting out a groan when his muscles burned. The exhaustion was seeping deep into him and he was feeling emotionally drained. His cheek was itching where the burn scar from his fight with Shiro was healing.

He's been sitting for a little while watching the rocks in the sky turn in their orbits when he heard footsteps approaching.  
"Hey buddy." Lance sat down beside him, stretching his long legs. "What's up? Off for a little flirt with the old lady in red? Always after my lions, aren't you? No chance, she's mine now." Lance playfully fistbumped Keiths shoulder, but it made Keith flinch in pain.  
"Sorry, I forgot. You must have taken quite a beating from Shiro back there."  
"Yeah. He wasn't exactly going easy on me. Might have a slight concussion. I certainly have quite a few more bruises."  
"No shit. He was... he was actually trying to kill us all. To be honest, I'm amazed he didn't kill you."  
"He tried" Keith's voice was getting quieter. "Lance, for a moment..." He turned his head, heading his face away from Lances eyes. "There was a moment when... when I tried to kill him, too."  
He swallowed hard. There was silence and Keith feared he had been too open, had said too much. Even though he hadn't even mentioned all that happened in that moment.  
But then Lance spoke quietly. "I guess it's good that you did. When Shiro is serious, he's really frightening. I mean, he's 'The Champion', right? I don't think you could have survived if you had held back. I think it's amazing that you managed to overpower him at all. So, it's good, I guess. You were able to come back and save us. You managed to bring Shiro back."  
Keith was shaking his head.  
"I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I heard the battle. I heard you scream. And I couldn't do anything. I thought I had to listen to you all die..." Keith was staring at the ground, his eyes wide.  
"- but you did make it. Everything turned out alright, Keith" Lance put his hand on Keiths shoulder.  
Keith closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"So..." Lance shuffled a little and there's a trace of worry in his voice when he asked. "Why did you leave?"  
Keith looked out towards the infinite stars. He didn't know how to answer.  
How to say that he felt completely out of his depth. That he felt like he was not cut out to be a leader, like every decision he took was the wrong one. That he was afraid of letting them down and them turning him away. How he was terrified of getting them all killed with his failure to lead.  
How diplomacy frustrated him; he wasn't cut out for it, feeling more like a thorn in Voltrons side in the struggle to find more partners for the Coalition.  
How he wanted to find out what it meant to be partly Galra. And the Blades of Marmora were the only Galra they didn't have to fight.  
But he didn't know how to put this chaos of vague feelings into words.  
"I just felt Voltron was better off without me and I was able to do more good with the Blades.“  
Lance looked as if he was about to say something, brows furrowed. But he only huffed and said nothing.

Of course Lance couldn't sit and keep quiet for long.  
"Anyway... we're going to go back home. I mean, sure, it sucks not having the castle, but home - back to Earth, Keith!  
I wonder how long the journey will take, without a wormhole and all that. You're not going to hog all the girls this time. You probably bored Romelle to death! She'll be riding with me."  
"Lance, I'm not sure this is a good idea..."  
Lance gasped. "What are you implying? Of course, I'll be the perfect gentleman. I have to show her not all Earth men are as boring and harsh as you."  
"I'm not harsh! ... Am I harsh?"  
"You can try to impress the girls with this dark, brooding emo thing you've got going. But you got no chance against my good looks and charming nature!"  
He flipped his hair and Keith chuckled. Lance shot him a pretend insulted look but then smiled, relieved.  
  
"You better get ready for some applause because they'll have a huge parade for us when we return! And I can finally see my family again. I miss them... Aren't you excited to get back home?"  
"I don't know. All the family I have left is here with me. But I guess, it'd be nice to see Earth again."  
"Oh, right..." Lance furrowed his brows. "Well, you can come visit my family. And your mother, too, of course. I have a big family." Lance started counting on his fingers. "There's mum and dad and Louis and Lisa and Nadia and Sylvio and Marco and Veronica and Rachel and... well, there's a lot. My family is amazing." He sighed. "I really miss them. I wish I could be back home with them already." His voice trailed off, the smile fading from his face.  
"Do you think, they're going to find new Paladins for the Lions? I mean, Pidge, Hunk and me are basically still only cadets. Though Pidge is a genius and Hunk's amazing, too. I don't understand what they're saying half of the time. But me? I'm sure the Garrison has better suited people than me. There's bound to be one that Red accepts."  
Keith turned to Lance and searched his face. He couldn't possibly mean... "Are you thinking of quitting Voltron? To stay with your family?"  
Lance looked at him, surprised. "What?! I... I don't know. Wait - are you saying I should? Are you that eager to get rid of me now that you're back?"  
"N-no, that's not...", Keith stuttered.  
"Well, maybe I just will! I'll quit! Leave Voltron! You will want your lion back, I guess."  
"Lance..."  
"After all I'm just here because you left. Just like back at the Garrison. I don't really belong here. I'm merely a cargo pilot.  
I have nothing much to contribute. Everybody else grew so much. I'm still just a goofball. I'm not meant to be a Paladin of Voltron. Sharpshooter - yeah, right. Loverboy? What a joke! I'm not good at anything. I'm a clown - I bet the Galra are laughing about me, in their purple Galra comedy clubs. Because they know. What the hell am I even doing here? I don't deserve this, don't deserve to be with you all. I'm a loser. Honestly, I'm just winging it most of the time. I merely got lucky until now."  
Lance looked like he was ready to go on, but Keith interrupted him.  
"No, you didn't. If you weren't good, you'd be dead. We'd all be dead. People don't get just 'lucky' that much in war, Lance."  
"Are you trying to give me a pep talk?" Lance eyed him suspiciously.  
"What? No, I'm just saying what I think is true. You're a great pilot and an exceptional shot. And you're really perceptive in ways I don't even understand."  
Keith looked at Lance hoping he could see his sincerity. He wasn't good at this. But he'd try.  
"I trust you with my life. I have in the past and I will again in the future.  
I'm not a great leader. I tend to let my temper get the better of me. Once I've set my mind to something, I'm focusing on it and sometimes I get lost and I can't see the bigger picture. And I need you to be there and do that for me. Snap me out of it. Tell me off. Make me see. Make me learn and grow."  
Lance stared at him.  
Keith continued. "Stay and stand by my side. That's where I need you.  
Not just anyone. Not just the Red Paladin. I want you, Lance McClain, by my side."  
And suddenly Lance was hugging him. It was an awkward side-hug, Lance being careful not to to hurt him.  
"Ugh. Do we really have to hug?"  
"Yes, we do. It's a bonding moment, Keith."  
Keith smiled and hugged back.

After a moment, a yawn fought its way out of Keith and they broke the hug. "Well, I better get back and check on Shiro."  
Keith tried to get up but Lance held him down.  
"Shiro's in good hands. He needs rest. And so do you."  
His body seemed to agree with Lance. His muscles felt heavy and sore and he couldn't will his body to get up.  
With a sigh and another yawn he settled back beside Lance.  
"As I said, when we get back to Earth you should come with me to visit my family. I really meant it. I could teach you how to surf."  
"Surfing?"  
"Yeah. Don't worry. My brother Marco is a better surfer than me, but I'm not too bad. Or we could go scuba diving - I'm actually a pretty good diver.  
Varadero's really beautiful. Everything is colourful and there's music on every corner. There's white beaches and amazing forests to go hiking in."  
Keith lay his head back against the metal skin of the red lion and closed his eyes. "Hiking in forests sounds nice."  
"Well, there's caves to explore, too. And the festivals,..."  
He felt himself drift off into sleep, listening to Lance saying something about garlic knots.

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'm new at this, comments and feedback (concerning language, grammar, tags, formatting...) are very welcome.  
> If you feel inclined to do fanart, I'd be very honoured. Please leave a comment with a link here or on Tumblr (I'm [elenirlachlagos](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/elenirlachlagos)).


End file.
